IE Church and 
The Greater Sacraments 




Book ^iJiib 

CopyiightiS^" 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



•i / 



THE CHURCH 

— AND — 

The Greater Sagrments. 

WITH A SKETCH CONCERNING 

Early Church Buildings. 



By ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL KNOWLEi 




THE YOUNG CHURCHMAN CO. 
1894. 



Copyright, 18^4. 
By ARCHIBALD CAMPBELL KNOWLES. 



One of the very many things for which we all should feel 
grateful, in this busy day of the Church's active life, here in 
our American Church, is the not infrequent sight of our young 
laymen rousing themselves to some earnest thought and 
study, concerning the Church's early history, her distinc- 
tive doctrines and teachings. As a modest contribution 
towards this feature of our literature, and as some slight 
proof of this striving to be wise in the things pertaining 
to the kingdom of God, we are glad to commend this essay 
of our dear friend, and former parishioner; and pray God's 
blessing upon him, and upon this — his work and labour 
of love, for Christ's sake, and that of His Church, wherein 
we all so unworthily serve. t !• -L- ^» 

Bishop's House, Milwaukee, 
Lent: 1894. 



It has long appeared to the writer, only an every day 
man of business, that many nominal Church people are 
to be found who seem sadly ignorant not merely of the ori- 
gin and history of the Church, but also of the very doc- 
trines of the Faith which they profess ; and who — for lack 
of time or opportunity — are unable to reach easily the pro- 
per sources, and obtain the information of which they must 
often feel the need. 

The following pages are therefore written with a view of 
giving some slight help, perhaps, to those who may chance 
to read them, towards a better appreciation of our glorious 
heritage, in "the Faith once for all delivered to the Saints;" 
and a deeper hold on the value of the Sacraments, and 
their place and use in the spiritual life. 

In this short space, we can only hope to give a faint 
outline, touching some of the more important facts under 
review. But we cherish also the hope that this little book 
may stimulate the reader to go further on, and seek out the 
richer and wider fields of the Church's literary treasures. 
And may the result be — not only a clearer knowledge of the 
Church's wealth of history,but also — a warmer love and devo- 
tion to the Person of our Blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus 



PEE FACE, 



Christ, and His Body, the Church, ' ' which He hath pur- 
chased with His own Blood." 

And may the author here express his gratefulness to his 
long-time rector, and spiritual guide, the present Bishop 
of Milwaukee, who while at St. Mark's parish, in Philadel- 
phia, for so many years, first under God, aroused in his 
heart a deep love for the Church, her Sacraments, and her 
history. • A. C. K. 

Lent— 1894. 
Philadelphia. 



Places of Woeship, and Forms ' 
Service, in the E^^rly Church. 



I. 



Places of Worship, and Forms of 
Service, in the Early Church. 



IN the early ages of the Church, centuries before 
the invention of printing, and the consequent 
wide dissemination of knowledge and learning, 
the Bible now to be found in almost every house- 
hold was contained only in the few rare manu- 
scripts, or copies of these manuscripts, possessed 
by the Abbeys, Monasteries, or Cathedral Churches, 
and looked upon as their choicest treasures. 

Reading and writing were known but to a 
favoured few, generally those of the upper or 
patrician classes, and the clergy. Therefore the 
Church, in order to show forth to the common 
or uneducated masses her Divine origin and to 
tell of Christ, His life and His teachings, taught 
the people through symbolism and allegorical and 
pictorial representations. 



10 PLACES OF WOE SHIP AXD FOEMS OF 



Owing to the terrible persecutions which 
Christ's followers at first suffered, their meeting- 
places, their forros and ritual, had of necessity 
to be but crude and primitive. Persecution and 
death followed in their wake, poverty and suffer- 
ing stared them in the face; yet supported and 
encouraged by their deep love of our Blessed 
Lord and the hope of Eternal Salvation held out 
to them, they never faltered, but bravely went 
out upon their way, to die like heroes and martyrs. 

So their Churches were often but the upper 
rooms of houses, small barns, sometimes even 
caves in the ground. They frequently buried 
their dead in these caves, or catacombs, as they 
were called. There the Holy Communion was 
often celebrated, a stone sepulchre serving for an 
Altar, on which to place the sacred Elements, 
with Lights standing thereon. This is supposed 
to be the earliest authority for the use of stone 
altars, now extensively to be found in many of 
our Cathedrals and Churches. 

Gradually persecution ceased. The Empire 
became Christian under the renowned Constan- 
tine the Great. Christ's followers, however, still 
had to undergo great privation and suffering, but 
these were often from within their fold. Xatioiis. 



SERVICE IN THE EARLY CHURCH, 11 



one by one, came under the banner o£ Christ; 
Churches, Chapels and iVbbeys rapidly multiplied, 
continually becoming more beautiful and ornate 
as time went on; devoted priests became hermits 
in the desert or lived there in community life; 
others carried the Gospel over the mountains into 
distant lands; until peak, valley, city and plain 
showed the Church carrying on our Lord's glori- 
ous work, of slowly redeeming the world. 

Then came another era. That which had been 
done primarily for the showing forth of Christian- 
ity and converting the heathen lands, came to be 
done for the glory of God and in memory of 
dear departed ones. Man's highest powers and 
attainments were called into play, resulting in 
those rich carvings and sculpture, those magnifi- 
cent stained glass windows, those beautiful and 
inspiring paintings and those elaborate and deli- 
cate embroideries, which delight the eye, as well as 
stimulate the fancy and stir up religious zeal. 

Then came the terrible rage, bigotry and icon- 
oclasm of the Protestants of the Reformation. 
Cathedrals were turned into stables ; churches 
were made the lodging places of rude, blasphemous 
soldiery; holy places were open to all manner of 
abuse and sacrilege; when altars, rare carvings, rich 



12 PLACES OF WORSHIP AND FOB MS OF 



windows, and the choicest treasures of the churches 
were utterly destroyed ; as in the words of the 
Ixxivth Psalm — they break down all the carved 
work thereof with axes and hammers." 

We can see even at this late date the harvest 
of these seeds of irreverence, intolerant and 
misguided zeal, and this iconoclastic spirit, so 
hard to overcome. 

The Catholic Revival of this century has put 
new life into the whole Anglican Communion, 
and that work has been richly blessed: a new 
impetus has been given to church building; mem- 
orials to our dead are of daily note; rich Church 
dressings have been given, until God's service is 
now as it should be, in many churches, glorious 
with elaborate ritual, vestments and ornamenta- 
tions. 

Thankful for what we have in these happy 
and peaceful days of the Church, after the event- 
ful changes of time, let us glance for a moment 
over the page of history, and see the condition of 
things in the days of the Primitive Church. 

The Church of to-day is strong in power and 
authority and numbers; wealthy in splendid cathe- 
drals, churches and colleges; beautiful with all 
that music, rich vesting and ornate ritual 



SERVICE IN THE EARLY CHURCH, 13 



can make it. The Primitive Church was numeri- 
cally small, and a sadly persecuted body, poor in 
places of worship, plain in services. 

Now it is considered even by the cold and 
unthinking to be at least as great a sign of respec- 
tability to attend a Christian church, as it was a 
mark of shame and reproach for the early Christians 
to be followers of Christ. The intense love, ear- 
nestness, and sincerity of these early Christians is 
best proved by this one fact: their utter disregard 
of the world's verdict, of the world's persecutions, 
of the world's sentence of death, as they cheer- 
fully bore all^ even giving up all they possessed of 
this world's goods, to take upon them the yoke 
of Christ and bear His Cross ! 

Let us now examine their ways more closely, 
and first their services. We are told in the Book of 
the Acts that these early Christians ''continued 
steadfastly" in the Apostles' doctrine, in their fel- 
lowship, and the breaking of the bread and in the 
prayers; and these are marks of the Catholic belief 
of to-day. 

The 1st chapter of Acts tells us that the original 
Charch — the Church of Jerusalem — consisted of 
about one hundred and twenty persons, increased 
by St. Peter through a sermon preached on the 



14 PLACES OF WORSHIP AXD FOBMS OF 



great Feast of Pentecost, to about three thou- 
sand. 

Here is the first picture of the Catholic Church, 
twelve Apostolic Bishops and some three thou- 
sand members. 

In Pliny's letter to the Roman Emperor Tra- 
jan, written about A. D. 112, he says of the 
early Christians that they were accus- 

tomed on a stated day to meet before daylight and 
to say in turns a hymn to Christ, as to a god, and 
to bind themselves by an oath, not to commit any 
wickedness,'' etc. Many writers think the hymn 
mentioned in this letter, as being suug to Christ 
as God, was none other than our Gloria in Excel- 
sis^ which we know as the earliest Christian 
hymn. 

The principal service of the Church then as 
now, was the Holy Eucharist or Holy Commun- 
ion, and this is the only service commanded to 
be observed by our Blessed Lord. At one time 
this was kept at night together with the Agape^ 
or Love Feast. 

This Agape ^ or Love Feast, was a very simple, 
and plain meal, where the cost of all things was 
defrayed out of the common fund, voluntary 



SERVICE IN THE EARLY CHURCH, 15 



contribntions in kind being made by the richer 
members of the community. 

The sacred character originally intended in 
this rite, was so far departed from, and that very 
wickedly, by the Corinthians, that St. Paul wrote 
a portion of his famous epistle to them, regard- 
ing their evil conduct ( I. Cor. xi, 21). 

This was written about A. D. 57. Shortly 
after this the two feasts were separated, and the 
Agape came gradually to fall into disrepute, and 
finally was given up altogether. 

It seems as soon as these two feasts came to be 
separated, that the Holy Eucharist was celebrated 
in the early morning, but the name Lord's Sup- 
per was still retained and used as it often is now. 
It should be remembered, however, that on 
Maundy Thursday, on which our Lord instituted 
the Holy Communion, it was in reality the mid- 
night hour running into the early hours of the 
following day, when the Institution was made. 

It may be said here that if our Lord had 
intended all future celebrations to have been in the 
evening. He would have said so, and the Church 
would not have gone against His command, and 
had early morning celebrations. 

St. Cyprian says, It was necessary for Christ 



16 PLACES OF WOE SHIP AXD FOBMS OF 



to offer on the evening of the day tliat the very 
hour of sacrifice might signify the sunset and 
evening of the world .... but we celebrate the 
resurrection of the Lord in the morning." 

St. Basil, SI. Chrysostom, Tertullian, St. 
Ambrose. St. Augustine, all have written enjoining 
fasting, and early communions; and the council of 
Hippo ( A.D. 393 ) and the third council of Carthage 
(A. D. 397) both passed canons enjoining fasting. 

We know therefore, that the early Christians 
thus continued steadfast in the Apostles' doctrine, 
the fellowship, the breaking of bread, and the 
prayers. 

Now a word as to the Liturgy, which strictly 
speaking is the service of Holy Communion: 

There were four great Liturgies, the Apostolic 
Liturgies, viz: 

The Liturgy of St. Jcones, used in Jerusalem, 
and in a slightly different form at Antioch, where 
it was known as the Clementine Liturgy. 

The Liturgy of St, John, used in Ephesus, 
Graul, Spain and Britain. 

The Liturgy of St. Mark, used at Alexandria. 

The Liturgy of St. Peter, used at Rome. 

These four great Liturgies form the basis of 



SERVICE IN THE EABLY CHUBCH. 



17 



all subsequent Liturgies, and on a careful com- 
parison will be found to be very similar in many 
respects to that used in our own branch of the 
Catholic Church of the present day. 

We give the order of these four great Apos- 
tolic Liturgies, and our own, side by side; which 
always followed certain preliminary Scripture les- 
sons, and the sermon. [See table at the end of 
the book. 

There is no doubt that the early Christians 
celebrated the Holy Eucharist daily, and fasting, 
and it is also beyond doubt that the Sacrament 
was reserved, and carried to the sick and the dying. 

Regarding the early Church buildings, as we 
have said before, the first services were held in 
caves or upper rooms. 

The first actual church opened is said to have 
been at Rome, in the second century, being part 
of a private house converted to this sacred use. 
The present church of Santa Pudenziana occupies; 
the site. 

History says that by the time of the dreadful 
persecution of the Christians under Diocletian in 
303, there were twenty-five churches and fifteen 



18 PLACES OF WOE SHIP AXD FOB MS OF 



basilicas conuected with the catacombs in Rome, 
though other churches had been built in various 
places throughout the Empire. 

The Catacombs at Rome, and similar ones at 
Naples, and Alexandria, were also used for services 
and hiding places of the early Christians, as has 
been already stated. 

The earliest form of church building was after 
the pattern of the basilica. One of the first is at 
Djemla, in Algeria. ''It is a rectangular hall, 
ninety-two feet long by fifty-two feet wide, divided 
by pillars into a body and two aisles, with a lofty 
square enclosure at the upper end, on the usual 
site of the chancel. Its floor is covered with a fine 
mosaic pavement, so purely classical as to leave no 
doubt as to its origin." 

The earliest church in England, was built at 
Glastonbury, the place where St. Joseph of Arima- 
thea is said to have settled, according to the old 
tradition, which states that he and SS. Philip, 
Lazarus, and Martha were banished by the Jews, 
and after going first to Marseilles went to Britain 
(except SS. Philip and Lazarus). 

St. Joseph is said, according to this early 
tradition, to have had with him the Holy Grail or 



SERVICE IN THE EARLY CHURCH. 19 



Chalice, in which our Blessed Lord first conse- 
crated the sacred wine. 

The early churches were plain and unattrac- 
tive outside, but gradually became very handsome 
and beautiful in the interior. 

There is no doubt that as soon as proper 
church buildings came to be erected, quite an 
ornate ritual began to be observed. 

Lights and incense are mentioned in the earli- 
est writings. 

Eusebius, the Church historian, tells us, the 
magnificence of the sacred vessels made the per- 
secutors envious, and led to the martyrdom of 
St. Lawrence, (A. D. 258) because he would not 
surrender the treasures of the Church. 

Prudentius says that when St. Lawrence was 
martyred, ''the Priests offer in gold; the Sacred 
Blood is received in silver chalices; in the nightly 
sacrifices the wax tapers are fixed in golden candle- 
sticks." 

The Fathers mention that St. James the Just, 
first Bishop of Jerusalem, and also St. John, were 
in the habit of wearing the golden plate which 
was the custom of the high priests in the old 
Jewish ritual. 

It is not until the fourth century that we 



20 PLACES OF WORSHIP AXD FOP MS OF 



have auy very clear mention of the vestments of the 
clergy; but we do know this much, that before 
that period the Bishops and priests wore at 
least the white tunic or garment with sleeves, and 
the pallium or cloak over it, while the deacons 
only wore the tunic. 

When we look at the revival and restorations 
still going on in our glorious cathedrals and 
churches, truly we should thank God on bended 
knees, that this century sees the church stronger 
than ever, and Catholic ritual still preserved and 
yet in daily use in our worship. 

Truly should we sing in the words of that ear^ 
liest of Christian Hymns, Gloria in Excel sis t 
Glory to God in the Highest ! 



The Sacraments, 



I 



II. 

The Sacraments, 



IT is purposed through the few words that fol- 
low, to show that the Sacraments are of 
Divme origin, that they have always been 
observed, from the Church in apostolic times 
down to the Church of the present day; and to 
obtain, if possible, some clearer idea as to the true 
Catholic doctrine concerning them, together with 
a glance at some of the erroneous notions held by 
many. 

First, it is well to note precisely what is the 
meaning of a Sacrament, so accurately given us in 
the Catechism, where it says that a Sacrament is 
an ''outward and visible sign of an inward and 
spiritual grace." 

If we turn to the 25th Article of Religion, in 
the Prayer Book, we find these words: ''There are 
two Sacraments, ordained of Christ our Lord, in 
the Gospel, that is to say. Baptism and the Sup- 



24 



THE SACBAMFXTS 



per of tlie Lord. Those five commonly called 
Sacraments, that is to say Confirmation. Penance, 
Orders. Matrimony and Extreme Unction, are not 
to be counted for Sacraments of the Gfospel. being 
such as have grown partly of the corrupt follow- 
ing of the Apostles, partly are states of life 
allowed in the Scriptures: but yet have not like 
nature of Sacraments with Baptism, and the 
Lord's Supper, for that they have not any visible 
sign or ceremony ordamed of God." 

A careful reading of this article will show 
that it does not exclude the five called Confirma- 
tion. Penance. Orders. Matrimony and Extreme 
L^nction. from the Sacraments — on the contrary 
it allows that they are partly "states of life 
allowed in the Scriptures:" and that it only means 
to put them into a lower or secondary place, when 
contrasted with the two greater Sacraments, or 
those, as the Catechism has it. "generally neces- 
sary to salvation." 

For the sake of argument, however, if the 
Article did authoritively declare these five not to 
be Sacraments in any se^se. Catholic Churchmen 
certainly are not bound to admit its verdict. 

Most people probably know the history of 
these t]iirfii-niyie Articles in the Prayer Book. We 



THE SACBAMENTS. 



25 



know that for centuries there was nothing beyond 
the Creeds to show the various doctrines of the 
Faith; we also know that it was not until 1536 
that Articles were thought to be necessary in the 
Church of England; w^e know still further that 
the first set of Articles consisted of ten, changed 
later to six, then to thirteen (which change was 
never really authorized or accepted), then in 1553 
io forty -ti€0, and in 1563 changed to be thirty-nine, 
and in 1571 revised and altered to w4iat they 
are now. 

A glance at these various sets of Articles will 
show they went from one extreme to the other, 
but since their final revision and adoption in 
1662 they are to be accepted. 

Churchmen can conscientiously accept them, 
but not to the exclusion of Catholic belief; and 
in the case of the five lesser Sacraments just 
mentioned, we can accept the reading of Article 
XXV, and at the same time, believe as Catholic 
Churchmen have for all ages, that these five are 
truly sacraments, but lesser ones; fit for certain 
states of life only; a moment's thought will show 
that each has its outward and visible sign, though 
this sign be not specifically ordained of God, to- 
gether w^ith its inward and spiritual grace. 



26 



THE SACRAMEyrS. 



Now, let us consider the two great Sacra- 
ments : 

First: Baptis:m, (Repentance). 

We know that God created man in His own 
Image, and we know that Christ when He appeared 
on earth took upon Him the nature of man, and 
so dignified and ennobled man. 

Thus it would seem that man was created 
good, but Scripture also tells us that mankind was 
given the power of a free will, and we know that 
Adam and Eve used this power by sinning. 

As man fell, as the old Adam erred, and as all fu- 
ture generations bear the marks of that wickedness 
and are born in original sin, so it became neces- 
sary for man to be born again, to be saved, to put 
upon him t]ie new Adam — in other words to be 

BAPTIZED. 

The Scriptural command is very clear and 
very strong. 

Our Blessed Lord told Nicodemus, when he 
wished to know the way to salvation: ''Except a 
man be born of Water and of the Spirit he can- 
not enter into the Kingdom of God."" 

St. Peter, in answer to the words: ''What 
shall we do to be saved?" says: "Repent and be 



THE SACBAMENTS. 



27' 



baptized every one of you for the remission of 
sins" (Acts ii, 38). 

In Acts xxii, 16, we read the command to 
Saul of Tarsus: ''Arise, be baptized and wash 
away thy sins,'' and in St. Matthew xxviii, ''Go 
ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them 
in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of 
the Holy Ghost." 

So the Bible is clear in its command on this 
point; and so the Church continued to teach, as 
witnessed by many of the individual writings of 
the Fathers, and by that Church manual of Apos- 
tolic times, supposed to have been w^ritten in the 
first or second century, known as '"The teachings 
of the Apostles." 

St. Cyril, Bishop of Jerusalem, about A. D. 
351, wrote a number of lectures — still extant — on 
Baptism; and Justin Martyr, Irenseus, and Ter- 
tuUian and many other of the Fathers also wrote 
of the primary importance of it. 

The Catholic Church throughout all ages has 
adhered to it, and has insisted that each person 
must be baptized, or re-generated, on being 
admitted to the Church. Another name is Chris- 
tening, which means being made a Christian. 

It is beyond doubt that Ikfai^t Baptism has 



THE SACBAMEXTS. 



always been held in tlie Church. If Ave refer to 
Acts xvi. 15 and 33. and First Corinthians i. 16. 
Ave read that when the older members of a family 
were converted, not only these, but the entire 
hoi'seliold was baptized. 

St. Cyprian used to say: "One cannot have 
God for his Father, unless he have the Church for 
his mother:'" so to have the Church as a mother, 
the person, whether grown up or a child, neces- 
sarily had to be baptized to be admitted. 

Justin Martyr, who lived almost at the same 
time as St. John, speaks of many people who were 
made followers of Christ from i/m/HCif, 

St. Augustine also mentions "infants baptized 
in Christ." all of Avhich goes to prove that it has 
always been a pious and Catholic custom to bap- 
tize CHILDEEX. 

In Baptism, a name is given to show that the 
child is dedicated by that name to the service of 
Christ: and in the early days it was a habit to 
give the child the name of some saint, as St. 
Chrysostom says, to move the child in later years 
to emulate the A'irtues and sancity of him or her 
whose name he or she bears. 

The child is baptized "In the Xanie of the 
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost," 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



29 



to show the faith in the Blessed Trinity, as the- 
foundation of our Christian life. 

In olden times a lighted candle would be given 
either to the child or god-parent, to show that 
hereafter he was to walk by the light of faith. 

The subject of the necessity of Immersion, 
has been often discussed. The Baptists urge this- 
as the mode used upon our Lord, when baptized 
by John the Baptist. Admitting this, if so, to be- 
a precedent for us to follow^, it is not proved that 
our Lord was immersed, indeed it would seem that 
quite the contrary was the case, and that our 
Lord stood in the shallow bank of the stream 
and had the water simply poured on His Head- 
Again, if the Apostles had insisted on the neces- 
sity of immersion, many a baptism could not have 
taken place, in a land where the hot suns scorched 
much of the country into a desert place, wanting 
in water. 

To sum up, investigation proves that our 
Blessed Lord ordained Baptism and directly 
insisted on the need of it; that the Apostles 
strictly observed these commands; that the Cath- 
olic Church throughout all time has followed it; 
and that by Baptism, the original sin of the first 
Adam, or the '^Inheritance of degeneration'' is^ 



30 



THE SACBAMEXTS. 



washed away, and the grace of the /len- Adam, or 
"luheritance of Eeofeneration." is assumed, where- 
by, are renounced, as the Baptismal Office says: 
'••the devil and all his works, the vain pomp and 
glory of the world with all covetous desires of the 
same, and the sinful desires of the flesh, so that 
thou wilt not follow, nor be led by them."' 

Then we profess belief in " all the Articles of 
the Christian Faith as contained in the Apostles' 
Creed." and promise to "obediently keep God's 
holy will and commandments, and walk in the 
same all the days of our life." 

Now we come to the Sackamext of the Lokd's 
ScppEK or the Holy Eucharist, or Holy Commun- 
ion — the highest Sacrament of the Church, which 
makes us. as the Prayer Book so well puts it in the 
prayer before the Gloria in ExceJsis: — "very 
members incorporate in the mystical body of thy 
Son. which is the blessed company of all faithful 
people: and are also heirs through hope of thy 
everlasting Kingdom." etc. 

It has been over this Sacrament, so fitly and 
so often named the Blessed Sacrament, that the 
world has fought for ages: that armies at various 
times have been arrayed against each other, to 
support their special definitions of it: that men 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



31 



have suffered martyrdom, jDreferring to sacrifice 
themselves, rather tlian give up what they held to 
be true; that controversialists have bitterly argued; 
and upon which the greatest men of the schools 
have expended their learning and time. 

Think of all this — these bitter wars, these 
noble lives thrown away before their time, these 
wranglings and cparrelings of learned minds — and 
then turn to the short, but solemn and beautiful 
account of the Institution of this same Blessed Sac- 
rament, as told in Scripture, a sacrament breath- 
ing love, charity and forgiveness, and a sacrament 
that conveys to the faithful receiver the greatest 
of all earthly blessings; and how far away from 
that '4ove and charity with your neighbors,'^ do 
so many people seem ! 

We find in studying the Scriptures, that the 
New Testament generally supplements and com- 
pletes types which are found originally in the Old 
Testament. 

Under the Jewish Law, the Jews were com- 
manded to offer up burnt-offerings, thank-offer- 
ings^ trespass-offerings and sin-offerings, all being 
but types of the great Offering of our Lord on 
the Cross, for the sins of the world. 

So, more especially, was the great Feast of 



32 



THE <ACBAMEXTS 



the Passover, commemorating tlie escape of 
the Israelites, whose door-posts were smeared with 
the blood of the lamb that was killed, at the time 
when God smote the first-born in Egypt (Exodus 
xii.). a type of the great Sacrifice of the Lamb of 
God. whose Blood taketh away the sins of the 
world. 

All have probably read the account of the 
Institution of the Last Supper, as told in St. Mat- 
thew xxvi. 26-28, St. Mark xiv. 22-25. St. Luke 
xxii. 19-20. and by St. Paul, in his First Epistle 
to the Corinthians xi. 23-29. 

These vary only in the wording and are essen- 
tially the same. 

It will be noticed that St. John has given no 
account of the Institution of the Lord's Supper, 
but it is he that foretold it in the wonderful 
sixth chapter of his Gospel, verses 47-58. 

This chapter is the one that makes the great 
stumbling block for all unbelievers, and the one 
that sectarians find so hard, even by the most 
specious arguments, to explain otherwise than 
what the words actually state. 

The words of Institution that we use in the 
Communion Service of the Book of Common 
Prayer are as follows: 



THE SACBAMENTS. 



33 



For in the night on which He was 

betrayed, He took Bread, and when He had given 
thanks. He brake it and gave it to His disciples, 
saying: Take, eat, this is My Body, which is 
given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. 

''Likewise, after supper. He took the cup, and 
when He had given thanks, He gave it to them,, 
saying: Drink ye all of this; for this is My Blood 
of the New Testament, which is shed for you and 
for many, for the remission of sins; do this, as 
oft as ye shall drink it, in remembrance of Me." 

Herein is the account of the Institution, and 
this contains the full belief of the Catholic 
Church. 

Examine it for a moment: Our Blessed Lord 
takes the bread, calling it breads and then after He 
has given thanks. He calls it His Bodij^ but He 
does not add that the bread is no longer there; 
so also He took the cup of wine, and after giving 
thanks. He calls it His Blood of the New Testa- 
ment, yet He does not say the ivine is not 
there also. 

If our Lord had intended us to believe that the 
bread and wine no longer existed after His Conse- 
cration, certainly He would have said so; likewise, 
taking another view, if He had meant that His 



34 



THE SACBAMEXTS. 



Body and Blood were not really present after His 
Consecration. He certainly would )iot then have 
told us that -This is My Body." -This is My 
Blood." 

This then brings us to the doctrine held by 
the Church, which is simply that under the 
forms of bread and wine, which still remain, is 
the Real Presence of the Body and Blood of our 
Blessed Lord. 

How that Real Presence is there, we do not 
know, except that it is there through the power 
of the Holy Ghost, by the act of Consecration; 
and very properly has the Church, guarding 
against the errors of Rome, not attempted to 
define how that Presence is there, simply prefer- 
ring to believe our Lord's own words, and having 
sufficient faith to trust that our Lord is really 
present in the Blessed Sacrament, but in a mys- 
tical and supernatural manner; or as Article xxviii. 
clause 3, of the Prayer Book has it: "The Body 
of Christ is given, taken, and eaten in the Supper, 
only after an heavenly and spiritual manner, and 
the means whereby the Body of Christ is received 
and eaten in the Supper is Faith." 

Now the definition of a Sacrament is, - an 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



35 



outward and visible sign, of an inward and 
spiritual grace." 

The Lord's Supper, or Eucharist, is a Sacra- 
ment. Hence, if after consecration the bread and 
wine no longer existed, there would only be the 
inward and spiritual grace, without the outward 
and visible sign ; and likewise if there was no 
Beal Presence^ there would only be the outward 
and visible sign, without the necessary inward 
and spiritual grace. 

Therefore, the Holy Eucharist, to be a real 
Sacrament, and to adhere to our Lord's ordinance, 
must consist, after Consecration, of the Bread and 
Wine for the outward sign, and the Body and 
Blood really present for the inward grace to be 
conveyed. 

Turning to the Church's Catechism we 
read that the Lord's Supper consists of three 
things: 

The outward part, or sign, called in theology, 
the Sacramentiim. 

The inward part, or thing signified, or the 
reality of the Sacrament, called in theology, 
Bes Sacramenti. 

The benefits, or Virtus^ so called in theology. 



36 



THE SACEAMEXTS. 



The questions and answers in the Catechism 
are as follows: 

Question. — What is the outward part or sign 
of the Lord's Supper? 

Answer. — Bread and wine, Avhich the Lord 
hath commanded to be received. 

Question. — What is the inward part or thing 
signified ? 

Answer. — The Body and Blood of Christ which 
are spiritually taken and received by the faithful 
in the Lord's Supper. 

Question. — What are the benefits whereof we 
are partakers thereby? 

Answer. — The strengthening and refreshing 
of our souls by the Body and Blood of Christ, as 
our bodies are by the bread and wine. 

Besides the Sacramental part just described^ 
the Holy Eucharist has another, the Sacrificial part. 

Every time a celebration of Holy Communion 
is made, it is the offering of the "Lamb of God. 
Son of the Father, that takest away the sins of 
the world." 

We are told by our Lord to show His death 
'*till He come" (First Epistle to the Corin- 
thians, xi, 26) and so the Church has always done. 

This sacrificial part of the Holy Eucharist is 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



37 



believed to be analogous to the sin-offering under 
the Mosaic Law. It is not meant that our Lord 
is sacrificed again, for we know He died on the 
Cross once for all; but we commemorate His 
death, and offer it up as*the Memorial, a pleading 
of it before God the Father. 

Look at the words of Institution: ^^Do this 
in remembrance of Me'' — which means as the 
Greek version has it: offer this in memorial 
of Me,''and the real significance becomes clear. 

To sum up then, we have found that the 
Blessed Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist gives 
us the Body and Blood of Christ, really present 
under the forms of bread and wine, which are 
called the sacred elements; that the Sacrament 
has three parts, the outward or visible, the inward 
or spiritual, and the benefits or virtue; and that 
there is also a Sacrificial as well as a Sacramental 
meaning in this great Offering. 

This was what was taught by the Apostles, 
this was what the early Fathers believed, and 
this is what has been held by all true Catholics 
the world over, and finally ( to quote the highest 



! 



38 



THE SACBAMEXTS. 



authority last), this is what our Blessed Lord 
Himself taught. 

It may be well to note the following quota- 
tions from eminent persons, from Apostolic ages 
down, and see how in the successive epochs the 
same doctrine has been held : 

St. Ignatius to the Philadelphians, in the 
early part of the second century: "Be ye careful 
therefore to observe one Eucharist (for there is 
one flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ, and one cup 
unto union in His Blood,'" etc). 

St. Irena^us — " The bread from the earth, 
receiving the invocation of Clod, is no longer 
common bread, but the Eucharist, consisting of 
two things, an earthly and a heavenly."* 

St. Chrysostom — " Since then, the word saith 
Til is is Mij Body ^ let us both be persuaded and 
believe, and look at it with the eyes of the mind." 

St. Cyril, of Jerusalem — ** Contemplate there- 
fore the bread and wine, not as bare elements, 
for they are according to the Lord's declaration 
the Body and Blood of Christ; for though sense 
suo^o:ests the former to thee, let faith stablish 
thee." 

'•Judge not the matter from taste, but from 
faith be fully assured without misgiving that 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



39 



thou hast been vouchsafed the Body and Blood 
of Christ." 

St. Clement of Alexandria — ''Being both 
Flesh and bread He giveth Himself, being both, 
to us to eat."" 

Bishop Edmund Geste, Lord Bishop of Roch- 
ester, in a letter, dated December 22nd, 1566, to 
Lord Burleigh : We maye say yt in ye Sacrament, 
His verye Bodye is present, yea really, that is to 
say, indeede, substantially, that is in substance, 
and corporally, carnally and naturally — by which 
words is meant that His verye Bodye, His verye 
Fleshe, and His verye Humane Nature is there, 
not after corporall, carnall or naturall wise, but 
invisibly, unspeakably, supernaturally, spiritually, 
divinely and by waye unto Him only known." 

Wheatly — on the Prayer Book: ''Thus much 
we must be sure to hold, that in the Supper of 
the Lord, there is no vain ceremony, no bare sign, 
no untrue figure of a thing absent — but the com- 
munion of the Body and Blood of the Lord in a 
marvellous incorporation, which by the operation 
of the Holy Ghost is through faith wrought in 
the souls of the faithful (etc). . . who therefore 
verily and indeed take and receive the Body and 
Blood of Christ in the Lord's Supper." 



40 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



Bishop Jeremy Taylor, And believe, 

if thou art a worthy communicant, thou dost as 
verily receive Christ's Body and Blood to all 
effects and purposes of the Spirit, as thou dost 
receive the Blessed Elements into thy mouth. 
. . . . And to make this good to thee, there is 
nothing necessary on thy part but a holy life and 
a true belief of all the sayings of Christ: amongst 
which, indefinitely assent to the words of Institu- 
tion, and believe that Christ in the Holy Sacra- 
ment gives thee His Body and Blood." 

•'He that believes not this is not a Christian. 
He that believes so much needs not to inquire 
further, nor to entangle his faith by disbelieving 
his sense." 

Dr. Pusey — ''But while the consecrated ele- 
ments, as we believe (because our Lord, and God 
the Holy Ghost, in Holy Scripture, calls them still 
after consecration by the names of their natu- 
ral substances and does not say that they cease 
to be such ). while the consecrated elements remain 
in their natural substances, still, since our Lord 
says. "This is My Body," ^^This is My Blood," the 
Church of England believes that ''under the form 
of Bread and ^Yine " so consecrated, we "receive 
the Body and Blood of our Saviour Christ.*' 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



41 



It will be needless to quote any more of the 
many noted theologians and Churchmen, — the few 
we have given will show that in the patristic 
times, before and after the Reformation, and down 
to our own times, the Church has held the same 
doctrine, as to the Real Presence of Christ in the 
Blessed Sacrament. 

Now for a moment, glance at the two conflict- 
ing errors — one that of Rome; the other that of 
the Dissenters, represented principally by the 
adherents of Zwinglius and Calvin, (though Dis- 
sent has also many other conscientious but 
erring leaders). 

First, the Roman Church — her belief is that 
of Transubstantiation, or that after the words of 
Consecration, the accidents'' of bread and wine 
remain, but that though these look like bread and 
wine, it is an error; for nothing then remains of 
these elements, after consecration, except in 
appearance only. Physically they are annihilated 
and gone. 

What a violation of the true definition of a 
Sacrament this makes ! In the first place it takes 
away the nature of a Sacrament, for it leaves 



42 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



nothing but the inward and spiritual part, and 
does awav with the outward and visible sign 
(bread and wine) both of which we have shown 
are necessary to the nature of a Sacrament. 

Then again it has no warrant of Catholic 
belief: for Transubstantiation is only a late 
mediaeval definition, first invented by Paschasius 
Kadbertus in 831 A. D.: which was opposed and 
combated at the time, and was first preached in 
England by Archbishop Lanfranc in 1070, and 
not even declared an Article of the Roman Faith 
until the Fourth Lateran Council, and not for- 
mally defined until the Council of Trent. 

Out of this erroneous statement of doctrine has 
grown a still worse practice among the Roman-^ 
ists. that of withholding the Chalice (or the 
wine) from the Laity, only allowing the celebrant 
himself to partake of it. and then trying to excuse 
this direct disobedience to our Lord's command, by 
arguing that because a living body contains also 
the blood, therefore the consecrated bread being 
the Body of Christ, the Blood must also be there; 
for they say. each species (meaning by species the 
elements of bread and wine) contains '"Christ 
whole and entire." The Anglican Church cer- 
tainly accepts this doctrine of concomitance^ or 



TEE SACRAMENTS, 43- 



that Christ is present, 'Svhole and entire" in each 
element, but Rome errs in withholding the Chal- 
ice from the laity, a practice entirely unwarranted. 
And the Roman Church therefore loses, for all 
her lay people, the special grace of the Chalice : 
for that this '* Cup of the Lord has a special 
and peculiar grace of its own all theologians 
allow, and teach. 

The wrong of this is amply proved by our 
Blessed Lord's own words, telling us both are 
necessary; for He says, in St. John, vi, 53:: 
'^Verily, verily, I say unto you, except ye eat the 
Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His Blood ye 
have no life in you.*" 

The Sectarians or Dissenters err just as much 
the other way, for they make the Lord's Supper 
but an empty sign. 

One of their great exponents, Zwinglius, when 
alive, taught that the benefits of the Sacrament 
came from the recollection of Christ dead not 
living, and that these only depended on the dispo- 
sition of the receiver, and that the Holy Euchar- 
ist was nothing else than a sign. This simply 
makes our Lord's words read : ^'This is not My 
Body," 'This is kot My Blood," and therefore, 
by taking away the inward or spiritual grace,. 



44 



THE SACBAMEXTS. 



this error also does away with the nature of a 
Sacrament. 

Another great dissenter. Calvin, taught very 
much the same, except that he made the henefifs 
of the Sacrament come from the intention of the 
Giver (God) and that it was simply a divine seal 
or pledge, conferring no special grace in the act. 

So here, in these many varying beliefs of the 
Sectarians and the Romanists, we have grave 
errors; and the Anglo-Catholic churches in Eng- 
land, in America, and their various national branch- 
es, should rejoice that God has so been with them, 
that we have been kept in the truth, and that to- 
day the Anglican Church holds the very ''Faith 
once for all delivered to the Saints." 

It is perhaps, needless to add. that the service 
of Holy Communion is the one great service of 
the Church, for which she puts forth her best 
music, ritual and vestments, and at which it is 
the duty of all faithful people to be present, 
whether to communicate, or for worship only. 

It might be of interest here to mention that 
it was an old custom in the Eastern Church, for 
each communicant to receive the sacred elements 
in a little dish, or sometimes a spoon, so as to 
avoid the falling of any of the blessed particles; 



THE SACRAMENTS. 



45 



but owing to the worldliness of these people, who 
tried to excel each other by the superbness and 
richness of the jewels which were set in these 
receptacles, the custom had to be abolished, and 
has long since passed away. 

There is also a beautiful idea, and we believe 
the soundest Churchmen hold to it, that if at a 
dying moment, on a battlefield, or away from all 
companionship, a person can make a last com- 
munion by plucking a blade of grass, or some- 
other fruit of the earth, and in simple faith ask 
our Lord to make it His Body and Blood; that 
then to all purposes and intents he is in reality 
partaking of the virtue of the Blessed Sacrament 
by the special act of God. 

It is a wonderful thing, this great gift of our 
Lord to us, th^ giving of His Blessed Body and 
Blood to us poor sinners, the being made one fvith 
Him by means of this Holy Sacrament. 

Do we sufficiently realize it, do we feel suffi- 
ciently thankful, do we recognize the wonderful 
love and mystery of it all ? 

How often do men approach and receive our 
Lord, hardly appreciating all that it means, or 
else making a communion only as a formal duty 



46 



THE SACBAMEXTS. 



^Yllich they feel mast be done; and how many 
(and this is far worse) stay away from the Lord's 
Supper and care not for it I 

The Greek word ''Eucharist" means TJicniks- 
(firing, and it is with this feeling all should 
..approach. 

We should try to think each time, that it is 
commemorating Christ's death on the Cross for 
us; that it is also repeating the celebration of the 
.Lord's Supper as instituted by Jesus Himself. 

Can we think of the terrible agony of Calvary 
when our Lord in His humanity suffered the 
■pains of the nailing in His hands and feet; and 
when He suffered in spirit, seeing the people He 
came to save crucify Him, and laugh and mock 
Him who was dying for them; — can we think of 
.this, and stay away from the Blessed Sacrament ? 

Again, when we think that He Himself insti- 
tuted this same sacrament, to help us in trouble, 
to comfort us in sorrow, to bear our burdens, to 
give us light on our earthly pathway, to help us 
bear patiently our trials, how can we wish to stay 
away ? 

He calls us. He enjoins and commands it. We 
should love to obey. Rather should we with love, 
and awe and reverence^ long to make our frequent 



THE SACRAMERTS. 



47 



communions, doing it in simple faith, and trying 
to follow out His commands. 

It is out of reverence and from a desire to 
show some self sacrifice, that since apostolic ages 
it has been the custom to go fasting, and early in 
the morning, to this great Sacrament, fittingly 
called the Blessed Sacrament, and doing this 
brings all the greater blessing. It is supposed 
our Blessed Lord did not institute the Blessed 
Sacrament until after midnight. 

TertuUian, St. Cyprian, St. Basil, St. Ambrose, 
St. Chrysostom, the great St. Augustine, the Vener- 
able Bede, many of the Archbishops of Canter- 
bury, and scores of noted divines from apostolic 
ages down, have all left written testimony, that 
it was always the custom to make fastikg Com- 

MUKIOi^S. 

Jeremy Taylor says, fasting '4s a Catholic 
custom . . . he that despises this custom 
gives nothing but the testimony of an evil mind.'' 
Several of the great Councils of the Church en- 
joined fasting, and there is a canon dated 960 in 
the Anglican Church, never repealed, which forbids 
any but fasting communion^ save in extreme 
sickness. 

There is absolutely no doubt that fasting 



48 



THE SACBAMEXTS. 



Communion was the custom of the early Church 
and has been the habit and rule ever since; and it 
is positively one's duty to go to that great Mys- 
tery fasting. 

When incapacitated by sickness or weakness, it 
is different, but even here, whenever possible, the 
Church desires it. It is not God's wish, we may be 
assured, to have one's health injured — but in ordi- 
nary cases no harm will result from making a 
fasting communion, and we should always be on 
our guard against the danger of deceiving our- * 
selves into thinking that sloth, laziness or self 
indulgence are not w^hat they are, but that we 
are ill, and unable to make the fast. 

Perhaps the best way, for a really ill person, is to 
receive Holy Communion at home, as provided in 
the Book of Common Prayer. What is right, 
in regard to our communions, and how often w^e 
should receive, is a matter for the individual con- 
science under proper advice and guidance, to 
settle. We should remember, however, that 
the Church has always required fasting commun- 
ion, and only extreme sickness is an exception. 
And ^Iso that she enjoins all to a frequent recep- 
tion. 'Ms oft as ye receive this,'' etc. 

In the early days people received daily; now 



THE SACRAMENTS, 



49 



once each week is generally about as often as is 
advisable for a person living as most people do, 
such very active lives, and for some even less fre- 
quently may be the better. 

But above all things should we desire to go 
not as a duty to be got over, but as A worship 
OF LOVE, having a longing to receive the Sacra- 
ment of our Blessed Lord's Body and Blood, 
whereby alone we are saved. Read these beauti- 
ful words of Charles Reade : 

'^Oh Christian soul, look on the wounds of 
the suffering One, the blood of the dying One, 
the price paid for our redemption : these things, 
oh, think how great they be, and weigh them in 
the balance of thy mind : that He may be wholly 
nailed to thy heart, who for thee was all nailed 
unto the cross. For do but call to mind the suf- 
ferings of Christ, and there is naught on earth 
too hard to endure with composure." 

If we could, say them truthfully each one 
would be the better. 

In closing this brief paper, let us remember 
the two great injunctions of our Blessed Lord : 
^^Except a man be born of water and of the 



50 



THE SACBAMEXTS. 



Spirit, lie cannot enter into the Kingdom of God'' 
(St. John iii, 5). 

''Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of Man 
and drink His Blood, ve have no life in you" (St. 
John vi, 53). 

And believing our Lord's words, in these two 
great Mysteries of the Faith, let us thank Him that 
we are so blessed as to be able to accept and believe 
them truly; and in all charity let us work and 
pray that those who do not, may come at last to 
understand and follow them, hoping that they 
and we may sometime attain that everlasting 
Life^ promised to all who love and obey Him. 

REFEREXCES: 

Walker's "The Ritual Reason ^Yhy/' 
Little's '^Reasons for Being a Clinrcliman." 
Wilberforce's ''The Doctrine of tlie Holy Eucharist.'' 
Eiske's Sermon on ''The Real Presence of Clirist/' etc. 
Editor of Priest's Prayer Book. ''The Christian Passover.'' 
Jewell's "The Special Belief and 'Objects of Catholic 

Churchmen." 
Dr. Pusey. 

Bishop Jeremy Taylor. 

Wheatly, ''On the Common Prayer." 

Quotations given from patristic and other wi'itings. 



The Catholicity of the Anglican 
Chuech. 



III. 



The Catholicity of the ANGLiCi^N 
Church. 



SINCE the great Catholic revival, or Oxford 
movement, the Anglican church with her 
offspring in America and the colonies, has 
budded into new life; and as the last years of this 
century are closing in, they see her pushing for- 
ward the cause of Christ with a new energy, zeal 
and power, strong in the knowledge of her divine 
origin, and strong in her Catholicity. 

Learned bishops, faithful priests and deacons, 
eloquent preachers and noble laymen are working 
as they never have done before. Among the rich 
and the poor, the high and the low, amid palaces 
and filthy slums; in our own land and in distant 
heathen climes, these faithful and devoted ser- 
vants of our Blessed Lord are going, winning 
their way by charity and love, as they teach the 



54 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE 



Christian religion in the purity of the primitive 
church, and preach Christ crucified. 

Many people — deep thinkers and learned men^ 
who seem to interpret the drift of the times — 
see in this new enthusiasm of this branch of the 
Catholic church the leaven which in time is to 
leaven the whole religious world; and as we view 
the church at large and see the rapid strides she is 
making, truly this hope seems not without foun- 
dation, at least among the English speaking races. 

First, it may be well to call attention ta 
the fact that many people have the mistaken idea 
that the church depends upon the Bible, seem- 
ingly ignorant that the New Testament, which 
tells of Christ and the Christian churchy was not 
written until several generations after the argani- 
zation of the church. Christ founded His churchy 
sent forth His church, inspired His church; the 
Bible came afterwards, being written by the 
Apostles whom our Blessed Lord had first sent 
out into the world. The Epistle of Saint James^ 
written about 50 A. D., is supposed to have been 
the first portion of the New Testament. 

So then the church made the Bible, not the 
Bible the church, and the Catholic Faith existed 
before the Scriptures were put in writing. 



ANGLICAN CHURCH. 



55 



The Catholic Faith is ''the Faith once for 
all delivered to the Saints." It is the belief held 
by the Holy Catholic Church, as expounded in 
the Holy Scriptures (afterwards written), shown 
forth in her creeds, determined by the concen- 
sus of opinion" of the Fathers and Teachers, and 
as stated or approved by the first six General or 
OEcumenical Councils, (those of Nice 325 A. D., 
Constantinople 381 A. D., Ephesus 434 A. D., 
Chalcedon 451 A. D., Constantinople 553 A. D., 
Constantinople 680 A. D). 

This Bible of ours is truly a glorious book, 
and should be accepted wholly as an inspired 
work, as ''the infallible and undeceivable Word of 
God." The Old Testament is chiefly a record and 
a history of the Jewish nation, foretelling the 
coming of the promised Messiah, and also con- 
tains genealogies, family histories, and the pre- 
diction of God's chosen prophets. 

Our translation of the Old Testament is made 
directly from the Hebrew version. The Septua- 
gint, or noted Greek version, was made by seventy 
scholars. An old tradition states that King Ptol- 
emy Lagi asked of the Jews a Greek translation 
of Scripture for his Alexandrian library. They 
sent seventy scholars to him, who on being sep- 



56 THE CATHOLICITY OF THE 



arated into different cells, started on the work. 
When the seventy copies were compared they 
agreed word by word ! 

The New Testament tells of Christ. His com- 
mands and teachings, and the organization of the 
church, with instructions and explanations, as 
further contained in the several Epistles. 

The Gospels ol St. Matthew. St. Luke, and St. 
Mark are believed to ante-date 70 A. D., as they 
all foretell the destruction of Jerusalem, which 
took place about 70 A. D. under Vespasian. If 
the Gospels had not been written previously, there 
would have been mention of the destruction 
as accomplished instead of foretelling it. 

This Xew Testament was written in Greek, 
and our English translation is one made after a 
careful comparison of the original Greek MSS, 
various versions and the Latin translation of St. 
Jerome. 

No book in the world has as strong proofs of 
its authenticity as the Bible. We know the MSS 
of the Old Testament were carefully preserved as 
the historical record of the Jews; and the New 
Testament was so loved that many careful copies 
were made and distributed widely. No one doubts 
the genuineness of a Virgil or a Homer, and yet 



ANGLICAN CHURCH. 



57 



the earliest copies of their works only date back 
to the tenth century ! 

Space will not allow us to go deeply into this 
profound subject of the authenticity of our Bible, 
but the following facts should be sufficient to 
prove it conclusively. 

First, the Old Testament is vouched for by the 
Jewish nation; Josephus, the great historian, 
and numerous heathen writers, attest its truth; 
the facts of history, the names of towns and the 
physical allusions are accurate even in minor 
details. 

Second, the New Testament was written in 
Greek, the language of the literary world at that 
time; Christian writers of the time refer to it or 
quote it; the records contain accounts of contem- 
porary personages; and the references to people 
and places can all be verified. 

Of AKCiENT MAi^uscRiPTS, the earliest one of 
the Hebrew Old Testament belongs probably to 
the eighth century. There are also what are 
called Synagogue rolls, written on fine skins, and 
still to be found in the Imperial Library at St. 
Petersburg. 

Of the New Testament there are three very 
ancient Greek MSS. still extant, ranging between 



58 



TEE CATEOLICITY OF TEE 



300 and 450 A. D. One of these, called the Alex- 
andrian^ is iii the British Museum, London; the 
second, the Sinaitic^ is in 6t. Petersburg; the third 
is in the Vatican Palace at Rome, this last being 
the most perfect. The one in the British Museum 
was criven to King Charles I, by the Patriarch o£ 
Constantinople. The Sinaitic MS. was found in 
a Monastery at Mount Sinai by Dr. Tischendorf 
in 1859. being in an old scrap basket of old papers, 
and thought to be worthless. 

Dr. Tischendorf was delighted with his dis- 
covery, and his story is very amusing, of the way 
wherein the monks became suspicious and refused 
him the MS. how an Euglishman came there and 
overlooked it. and how the Emperor of Russia 
finally commissioned him to buy it for the Russian 
collection of ancient records. 

These three rare MSS. are very perfect. 

Besides these there are some 1500 copies or 
versions of these ancient MSS.. another strong 
proof: while still another proof of the authenticity 
of our Bible is that the Fathers quote it liberally 
and freely. 

Our English translation (the Authorised ver-. 
sion) is a version to be proud of. and the language 
has endeared the book to all who have sought its 



ANGLICAN CHURCH. 



59' 



pages for aid and comfort, always to find it. About 
ten English versions preceded it, those of Wicliffe,. 
Tyndale, Coverdale, and the Bishops' translation, 
being considered the best. 

With these proofs, external and internal,, 
before us, the reader cannot fail to see 
that no book in the world has such a weight of' 
evidence in its support. Indeed, the authenticity 
of the Bible is proven beyond peradventure.. 
How much should Almighty God be thanked that 
almost nineteen centuries after the New Testa- 
ment was written, we should be reading the same- 
inspired records as the Apostles had ! 

Turning to this Bible we find that the 
Church of Christ was continually foretold by the 
priests and prophets of the Jews; that St. Johni 
the Baptist, the Forerunner of Christy prepared, 
the way for it, crying in the streets '^Repent ye,, 
repent ye, the KraoDOM of God is at hand" (This- 
Kingdom of God is Christ's Catholic Church). 

During our Blessed Lord's ministry, we- 
find '^church" and ''kingdom" are used as synony- 
mous terms; and more than half of His parables 
directly refer to His church (Read St. Matthew 
xiii; St. John xv, xvii, x; St. Luke v. etc.) 

In St. Luke viii, 10, Christ tells the Disciples 



60 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE 



about this Kingdom; in St. Luke xxii. 29. and St. 
Matthew xxviii, He appoints and commissions 
this church to them, giving them power to remit 
or retain sins, and to hand down their ministerial 
power in direct succession by the '"laying on of 
hands.'"' (Apostolic sifccession is easy enough of 
credence, even from a critical standpoint, when 
one considers that the lives of twenty-five persons 
of average longevity would extend back in a chain 
to apostolic days!) 

The Bible being true, the Divine Institution 
of the Church of Christ being true, let us see how 
the primitive church followed and taught this 
truth. It is a simple task, for the writings of 
most of the Fathers are still extant, in whole or 
in part. 

We have not space to go into this, but taking 
the Creeds as an exposition of the Faith, we find 
that substantially the same as the Apostles' Creed, 
as we have it now, is quoted by St. Iren^us (2nd 
century); by Justin Martyr (A. D. 150); by St. 
Polycarp (St. John's own disciple) A. D. 68-155; 
by St. Ignatius (contemporary of all the Apos- 
tles); while the Xicene Creed A. D. 325, and 
Athanasian Creed about 430 A. D. only repeat 
more fully the same belief. 



ANGLICAN CHUBCH. 



61 



Further, our Liturgy (Holy Communion ofl&ce) 
agrees substantially with the early Liturgies, 
called those of St. James, St. Mark, St. Peter and 
St. John; and a writing called '^Didache of the 
Apostles'' agrees in all points with our pure and 
unaltered faith. 

Now turning to a letter of Justin Martyr 
(about 140 A. D.) we find he tells us that at their 
religious services in his day the writings of the 
prophets, or apostles, were read, a sermon was 
preached, prayers were said and the Holy Euchar- 
ist was celebrated. 

Also in a letter of Pliny to the Emperor 
Trajan (A. D. 112), he says the Christians were 
accustomed to meet before daylight to celebrate 
the Eucharist. 

The A^tglican Church and her offspring 
verily has ^'the Faith once for all delivered to the 
Saints," and she is indeed a close follower of 
Apostolic doctrine. Some minor points or cere- 
monies we might wish to see revived, but in all 
necessary doctrine and practice she is a firm expo- 
nent and defender of the Catholic Faith. 

First; she has the Episcopacy — the orders of 
Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, in the certain line 
of the true Apostolic succession. Her validity is 



62 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE 



undeniable. (Pope Pius IT. requested the council 
of Trent to declare English orders not valid ^ hut it 
- refused to do so,) 

The Roman church pretended to doubt the 
consecration of Archbishop Parker, at the time 
of the Reformation, though the Roman Bishop 
Bonner and many others admitted it; but since 
the documents affirming it have been found, the 
Roman Catholic writers generally have dropped 
the point. In fact it is undeniable, for of the 
-Bishops, Barlow of Bath and Wells, Scory of 
Chichester, Miles Coverdale of Exeter, Hodgkins, 
Suffragan of Bedford, who joined in the ''laying 
on of hands,'" two of these had been made Bishops 
by the Latin form in Henry VIII's time, and two 
by the English form in Edward VFs time. Suppose 
this was not so — though it is — nevertheless it 
would not affect the validity of Anglican orders, 
for later on in the seven Bishops, Sancrof t. Lake, 
Trelawney, Ken, White, Lloyd, and Turner, all 
of whom were sent to the Tower in King James 
IPs reign and then liberated, we find four lines of 
succession meet, viz: the Italian, the Irish, the 
Scotch and the English. We may thank these 
Bishops for saving the Church of England, and 



ANGLICAN CHUBCH. 



63 



by so doing giving undoubted validity to her 
Orders. 

As to the founding of the Church in Britain, 
one tradition says that St. Paul himself planted 
it there. Another tradition says that St. Joseph 
of Arimathea (who begged the Body of Jesus and 
took It from the Cross) with the two Mary's and 
other holy women, came to Avalon, now Glaston- 
bury, bearing the Holy Grail (the Chalice our Lord 
used at the Institution of the Blessed Sacrament) 
and built a chapel there. Certain it is, a church 
was in Britain before Augustine and his followers 
came thither, even if these traditions may not be — 
though very probably they are, — true. 

Second; Anglican priests, being properly 
ordained, can celebrate the two greater Sacraments, 
and the five lesser ones. Christ says ''except 
a man be born of Water and of the Spirit, he 
cannot enter the Kingdom of God," ''Except ye 
eat the Flesh of the Son of man and drink His 
Blood ye have no life in you," two positive declar- 
ations, which are strictly fulfilled in our minis- 
trations. 

A Sacrament is "an outward and visible sign of 
an inward and spiritual grace;" so in Baptism the 
outward sign is water, the inward grace a "Death 



64 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE 



unto sin" and a ** new Birth;" in Holy Eucharist 
bread and wine (the elements) are the signs, 
Christ's Body and Blood really present under the 
form of bread and wine, the grace conveyed. We 
must believe this, for Christ says it. and it is His 
teaching and that of the Apostles, of the Fathers, 
St. Irenaeus, St. Ignatius, St. Chrysostom, St. 
Cyril. St. Clement, etc., and of the English Divines 
Greste, Wheatly, Ussher, Ken, Jeremy Taylor, 
Pusey, Keble and a host of others. 

Third; the Anglican Church has the Liturgy, 
the prayers, and the fellowship. The liturgy is 
based chiefly on the one supposed to have been 
compiled by St. John at Ephesus. 

Fourth; the Anglican Church advocates con- 
fession to God direct, or if necessary, to a priest, 
who has power to absolve the penitent; (see St. 
John XX, and Prayer Book oflice for the Ordering 
of Priests). 

Fifth; the Anglican Church has orders of 
noble clergy, and holy women, who lead celibate 
lives, taking certain vows upon them. It is the 
abuse of this idea, not the proper use, which made 
it once repugnant. In many fields, unmarried 
priests can do far better work for the Church, 
and being unmarried, undergo far less suffering 



ANGLICAN CHUBCH. 



65 



and anxiety, as their stipends are so small. Cele- 
bate orders have rapidly multiplied of late and 
the devotion, earnestness and sincerity of purpose 
of these self-sacrificing men and women should 
win the love and admiration of all — not their 
ridicule or condemnation. 

Sixth; the Anglican Church believes in prayers 
for the faithful departed. She believes that during 
life God gives the human soul sufficient grace to 
escape damnation, and that the soul's probation 
consists in the struggle during against sin and 
Satan; after death each soul goes to the place of de- 
parted spirits to await the Judgment; and it is a 
devout belief that our prayers benefit the dear de- 
parted ones, while they help and comfort us. The 
Church's warrant for this belief is in the Bible 
itself, where we read that St. Paul himself prayed 
for the dead Onesiphorus (II Epistle to St. Tim- 
othy); again, the inscriptions in the catacombs 
where the Christians were wont to bury their 
dead show it indisputably; the fathers of the 
Church believed and taught this doctrine, as we 
find in the writings of Ambrose, Augustine, Ter- 
tullian, Chrysostom, Eusebius and others; the 
Primitive Liturgies all had prayers for the dead. 
Such eminent leaders as Archbishops Ussher and 



66 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE 



Laud, Bishops Jeremy Taylor, Andrewes, Ken, 
Heber; also Wesley, Keble and a host of others all 
profess this same belief. 

Seventh; The place of Departed Spirits : It is 
a Catholic belief that the soul after death grows, 
develops and increases in spiritual grace. There 
is a steadily advancing progress. We are told 
that nothing defiled can enter Heaven. If 
a man dies repentant at the last moment, after 
a bad life, he is forgiven, yet he is not directly 
fitted for Heaven, but undergoes in Paradise a 
change. The Church does not hold that this dis- 
embodied state will affect the final judgment — 
but believes that we are judged by what is done 
in our earthly lives. But the Church does believe 
that the soul in Paradise advances and grows in 
grace, until the last trump. And the Church also 
believes the good and bad in the place of departed 
spirits are not together, but that there is a gulf fixed 
between. This the parable of Lazarus bears out. 
Also our Lord told the thief, when on the cross, 
''This day shalt Thou be with Me in Paradise." 
Revelation further adds to this proof that the souls 
are consciously waiting in Paradise, when St. 
John speaks of the souls beneath the altar crying 
out "How longf 
L.ofC. 



ANGLICAN CHURCH. 



67 



Many of the Fathers teach that the Saints and 
Martyrs who died do not wait, but have already 
been admitted to Heaven, and there already behold 
''the Beatific Vision," and ''see God face to face." 

Grateful then are we, for these evident tokens 
of the genuine Catholicity of our Anglican com- 
m anion, in all her scattered branches, now spread 
abroad into all parts of the world. Grateful too, 
that God has placed our lot in this fair heritage, 
free from those departures from real Catholicity, 
seen in the wild vagaries of sectarianism on the 
one hand, with their untold destructive tenden- 
cies; and in those many foreign accretions to the 
old faith which mediaeval and modern Rome has 
seen fit to make, on the other. Thankful that we 
have not the dreadful abuses of Mariolatry to ex- 
plain away, with its manifold evils in the undue 
exaltation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in the 
making of her the real centre and focus of divine 
worship, as Roman devotional books so manifestly 
show. Thankful that we are not burdened with 
the recent additions to the ancient faith, such as 
the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the 
Blessed Virgin, rejected by the Council of Trent, 
but finally adopted in 1854, under Pius IX, and 



68 



THE CATHOLICITY OF THE 



now formally made an Article of Faith, belief in 
which is necessary to the soul's salvation. More 
thankful still that the dogma of Papal Infalli- 
bility^ with its long array of contradictions and 
falsehoods in the lives of other popes, is not ours 
to believe, under peril of damnation. This last 
accretion to the Roman Creed, called by some of 
its more ardent upholders a ''triumph over his- 
tory," known to others as a flat contradiction of 
the real voice of Catholic history — was added only 
in 1870. Xo protestant abuse of this special doc- 
trine begins io equal in virulence and antagonism 
the continuous and fierce opposition to it within 
the Roman obedience up to 1870, and constantly 
showing itself in many quarters since. 

But while thus mindful of these sad diver- 
sions from the old and apostolic faith of the ages, 
let us never fail to ''pray for the peace of Jerusa- 
lem;" pray that some day, in God's gracious 
mercy, there shall once again, as in the olden 
days, be the "one fold, under one Shepherd;" 
united again in the bonds of love, within "the 
Faith once for all delivered to the saints," to be 
kept "pure and undefiled, unto the judgment of 
the last day." 



ANGLICAN CHURCH, 



69 



REFERENCES : 

Cutfs's "Turning Points, of General Church History.'' 

Smyth's "How we got our Bible." 

Appendix in Church of England Bible. 

Luckock's "After Death." 

Lane's "Illustrated Notes on Church History." 

Little's "Reasons for Being a Churchman." 

Quotations from Patristic writings. 



i 



Saint James. 



Saixt Mark. 



Saint Peter. 



1. Kiss of Peace. 

2. Lift up your hearts. 

3. Tersanctus. 

4. Commemoration of In- 

stitution. 

5. Oblation. 

6. Prayer for descent of 

H6ly Ghost. 

7. Prayer for the Living. 

8. Prayer for the dead. 

9. Lord's Prayer. 

10. Union of Consecrated 

Elements. 

11. Communion. 

12. Thanksgiving. 



1. Kiss of Peace. 

2. Lift up your hearts. 

3. Prayer for the living. (7) 

4. Prayer for the dead. (8) 

5. Tersanctus. (3) 

6. Commemoration of In- 

stitution. (4) 

7. Oblation. (5) 

8. Prayer for descent of 

Holy Ghost. (6) 

9. Union of Elements. (10) 

10. Lord's Prayer. (9) 

11. Communion. 

12. Thanksgiving. 



1. 

2. 
3. 
4. 



6. 

7. 

8. 

9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 



Lift up your heart 
Tersanctus. (8) 
Prayer for the Uvi 
Prayer for descent 

Holy Ghost. (6 
Commemoration 

stitution. (4) ;. 
Oblation. ~ (5) 
Prayer for the dea' 
Union of Elemeni 
Lord's Prayer ( 
Kiss of Peace. ( 
Communion. 
Thanksgiving. 



XilTTJEG-IES- 



Saint John. 



1. Prayer for the living. (7) 

2. Prayer for the dead. (8) 

3. Kiss of peace. (1) 

4. Lift up your hearts. (2) 

5. Tersanctus. (8) 

6. Commemoration of In- 

stitution. (4) 

7. The Oblation. (5) 

8. Prayer for descent of 

Holy Ghost. (6) 

9. Union of Elements. (10) 

10. Lord's Prayer. (9) 

11. Communion. 

12. Thanksgiving. 



Holy Gommunign Service in American 
Prayer-Book. 



9. 
10. 
11. 
12. 



1 . Prayer for living. (7) ^ In prayer for 

[• the Church 

2. Prayer for the dead. (8) ) Militant. 

3. Exhortation, Confession, Absolution, 

(1) Which corresponds to the Kiss 
of Peace. 

4. Lift up your hearts, etc. (2) 

5. Tersanctus. (3) 

6. Prayer of Humble Access followed by 

Commemoration of Institution. (4) 



The Oblation. 
Invocation or 
Holy Ohost. 
Communion. 
Lord's Prayer. 
Thanksgiving. 



(5) 

prayer 

(6) 

(11) 
(9) 
(12) 



for descent of 



Gloria in Excelsis. 



^1 



